Florida to be without star player in Big 12/SEC Challenge vs. Oklahoma State

If there was such thing as a big loss, it’s Florida not having their 6-foot-11 leading scorer for yet another game. Colin Castleton is out for today’s Big 12/SEC Challenge against Oklahoma State due to a nagging shoulder injury, per Jon Rothestein on Twitter.

Castleton, who hasn’t played since Jan. 15 against South Carolina, is currently averaging 15.4 points and 9.1 rebounds on a 53.6 percent clip.

Florida has also dropped their last two games, once to Ole Miss and the other to the No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers. The Gators are 2-2 since losing their star big man.

It isn’t just Castleton that is battling with an injury, a couple other Gators are also dealing with ailments that are keeping them off the court. Forward CJ Felder only played three minutes against the Volunteers due to an illness, and big man Jason Jitoboh was lost for the game late in the first half after getting nailed in the face with the ball.

Likewise, Oklahoma State is without one of their star scorers as well.

Oklahoma State’s Bryce Williams (leg) “will go through shootaround and then be evaluated afterwards” prior to today’s game against Florida, per Mike Boynton, via Jon Rothstein.

Williams sprained his ankle against TCU last Wednesday, and did not suit up against Texas last Saturday or their 84-81 overtime loss to No. 23 Iowa State on Wednesday. He was in a boot and on crutches in Austin on as his team dropped a close one to Texas 56-51. 

Williams not only leads the Cowboys in scoring (10.8 points per game), he also leads his team in assists with 3.3 per outing. He is also second on the team in steals (28) and assists (49). 

Williams has scored in double-figures eight times thus far in his fifth collegiate season, including a career-high 29 points against Cleveland State on Dec. 13. He scored 11 points against Texas in Stillwater on Jan. 8, and had a 12-point performance against West Virginia in their next outing.

Without Williams on the court, Oklahoma State has dropped both games they’ve played to Texas and Iowa State, both coming down to the wire and eventually decided by five points or less.

Oklahoma State and Florida is set to tip off just under an hour from now at 4 p.m. ET live from Gainesville and can be viewed on ESPN2.